Family: Solanaceae
Genus and Species: Lycopersicon lycopersicum

Climate

Tomatoes are a hot weather crop. Tomatoes came from the tropics so it stands to reason that tomatoes like heat and humidity.

Soil

Tomatoes need light, fertile soil with a lot of organic matter. Too much nitrogen can reduce tomato yields. Make sure the soil is deep (at least 12") and loose. Tomatoes are heavy feeders so mix in compost or chopped leaves to enhance the soil. Tomatoes do well in soils with a pH of 5.8 to 7.0. Tomatoes need high amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Spacing

Tomato plants have two distinct growing habits - determinate or indeterminate.

Determinate tomato plants require staking or cages to help hold the the tomato plant up so spacing should include room for the stakes or cages. In general, space the tomato plants 12"-24" apart. You should allow for some air circulation between your tomato plants.

Indeterminate tomato plants will spread out on the ground or climb a trellis if offered one. Space indeterminate tomato plants 24"-36" apart if unsupported. If you trellis your indeterminate tomatoes space them at 14"-20" inches apart.

Keep at least 2' between the rows of tomatoes.

Direct Seeding

Tomato seeds are not normally sown directly into beds. But if you want to give it a go, plant tomato seeds directly into moist prepared beds after the soil has reached 80°. Sow tomato seeds 1/2" deep, 6"-8" apart in rows 2' apart. Thin tomato plants to proper spacing after the seedlings are established. Water the tomato seeds evenly.

Seeding For Transplants

Sow tomato seeds indoors 1/4" deep in cell trays. Keep tomato seeds evenly moist and place the trays under grow lights if available. Transplant tomato seedlings to larger, peat pots when they reach 3"-5" tall. Bury the tomato seedlings with soil so only 1" of the tomato plant is above the soil line.

Germination

These seeds germinate best in soils around 80°F-90°F.
Germination will take 6-8 days.

Transplanting Into the Garden

Harden-off tomato seedlings two weeks before planting time. Choose a planting date when the soil has warmed to 80°. Bury the tomato plants so that only 4" of the starts are visible. Water the tomato transplants well and mulch them with straw.

Watering

Tomatoes thrive on even moisture. Use straw mulch on the tomato beds to help retain soil moisture. Water tomatoes deeply during dry spells. Water the base of the tomato plant, not the foliage. Watering the foliage when tomatoes are maturing can cause the fruits to crack.

Harvesting

Tomatoes are mature when they reach their mature color. Keep a close eye on the unripe tomatoes once the first ripe tomato has been seen on a tomato plant. The rest will follow soon after.

As the end of the season approaches, pick the remaining tomato flowers to encourage maturation of the existing tomatoes before the killing frosts arrive.

Many people in northern climates have learned to like green tomatoes which can be harvested when the tomatoes reach their mature size but haven't changed color.

Harvest tomatoes often and remove all over ripe tomatoes from the bed. Harvest by clipping the tomatoes from their vines.

Harvest all your tomatoes the night before the first hard frost. Place unripened tomatoes on newspaper in cool, dark room. Some gardeners harvest the entire tomato plant before the first frost and hang it upside down in a cool dark room. The tomatoes will continue to mature.

Post-Harvest Handling

Wash and dry tomatoes thoroughly. Use forced-air cooling for tomatoes going to market.

Storage

Ripe tomatoes stored at room temperature will last 4-7 days. For longer storage life, keep tomatoes at 62° to 68°F with a relative humidity of 90% to 95%.

Do not store tomatoes in a refrigerator as the cold will alter the tomato flavor.

Tomatoes are very sensitive to ethylene gas so do not store tomatoes with vegetables and fruits that give off ethylene gas such as apples and pears.

Diseases

Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium Wilt and Tobacco Mosaic.

Pests

Tomato Hornworm, Aphids, Flea Beetles, Cutworms, Spider Mites and Nematodes.

Comments

Training Tomato Vines

Indeterminate tomatoes need support. Tomato fruits mature more evenly when the tomato plants are trellised. Place your trellis or other supports for the tomatoes before you transplant your tomatoes into their beds. Use siskal twine liberally to tie the tomato plant to the support, don't let the branches of the tomato plant bend or they might snap from the weight of the tomatoes. Tomato plants need to be reinforced throughout the growing season so check them often and add additional support as needed.

Pruning Tomato Vines

Most tomato plants will need pruning. Pruning reduces the amount of space your tomato plants will take up. Pruning your tomato plant will encourage higher yields of tomatoes. But pruning does take more work.

Pruning involves snapping off the branch that grows in the middle of two others - often referred to as a sucker. Snap the suckers off your tomato plants as they appear. If the sucker has flowers on it - leave it. Leave a few suckers toward the top of the plant to protect the tomatoes from the sun with their leaves. But keep an eye on them and prune them as needed to keep them from growing new branches.

If unpruned, you tomato vines will become unwieldy and your tomato harvest will be less. Studies have shown that a pruned tomato plant will produce tomatoes up to 2 weeks earlier than unpruned.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Occassionaly fertilize tomatoes with fish emulsion.

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References

Oregon State University, "Fresh Market Tomato, Commercial Vegetable Production Guide", Last modified 2003-01-06, Oregon State University, http://www.oregonstate.edu/Dept/NWREC/tomato.html [2], Accessed 2003-05-22

Bradley, F. M. and Ellis, B. W.(Ed.). (1992), Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Resource for Every Gardener, Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press.

Smith, E.C. (2000), The vegetable gardener's bible: discover Ed's high yield W-O-R-D system for all North American gardening regions., Storey Books: Pownal, VT.